Who will take home the top prizes on Sunday (May 17) during the ACM Awards?
This year, women lead the nominations, with Megan Moroney at the head of this year’s slate of nominees with nine nods, followed by Miranda Lambert with eight, and Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson with seven nominations each. This also marks the second consecutive year that a female solo artist leads the nominations (last year, Langley was the top-nominated artist, with eight nominations).
Wilson and Moroney are up against Luke Combs, Cody Johnson, Chris Stapleton, Jelly Roll and Morgan Wallen for the coveted entertainer of the year accolade. If Combs wins, he’ll secure the ACM’s triple crown, as he has also previously taken home the new male artist of the year and male artist of the year accolades. Meanwhile, if Wilson wins, she would join Carrie Underwood as the only woman to win the entertainer of the year trophy three times, and would be the first woman to win it three consecutive years.
Several early winners have already been revealed, with Tucker Wetmore earning the new male artist of the year title, Avery Anna earning the new female artist of the year title, the music video for Stephen Wilson Jr.’s “Cuckoo” winning visual media of the year, and Jessie Jo Dillon winning songwriter of the year.
Shania Twain will host this year’s awards show, which will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show will stream live via Prime Video for the fifth consecutive year.
Here are Billboard’s predictions on who will emerge victorious in select categories, from Melinda Newman (executive editor, West Coast/Country) and Jessica Nicholson (associate editor, Country).
Drake returns by releasing three new albums ‘Iceman,’ ‘Maid of Honour’ and ‘Habibti.’ There are references to BTS and shots at DJ Khaled and LeBron James, and he reignites his feud with Kendrick Lamar through a new collaboration with Future on “Run to Atlanta” from ‘Iceman’ and more!
Tetris Kelly Drake name-drops BTS, reignites the Kendrick beef, releases three albums, and the White House got involved. Buckle up, and let’s chat Drake. So Drake just released a lot of new music, and besides name-dropping global superstars BTS on the track “Make Them Cry” that has left the fellas and their fans maybe a little confused, he also decided to bring 2024 back and his beef with K-Dot. He dropped a track that features Future, a frequent Drake collaborator who was also on a Kendrick diss track, and of course the title “Ran to Atlanta” references the famous “Not Like Us” lyric. These are tracks from the album ‘Iceman’ but he also dropped two other projects, ‘Habibti’ and ‘Maid of Honour.’ Drizzy has the opportunity to occupy the top three of the Billboard 200 next week, which has only been done in the past by Michael Jackson. Also randomly chiming in is the White House with this MAGA edit of the ‘Iceman’ cover. Any thoughts on this, Drizzy? And what’s everybody’s thoughts on the album? Let us know in the comments.
On Friday (May 15), Spotify announced that Drake has set the single-day records for most-streamed artist, album and song on the platform in 2026, thanks to his first new solo project since 2023.
The single-day 2026 album honor goes to Iceman — one of three albums the rapper dropped first thing Friday, in addition to surprise releases Maid of Honour and Habibti — and the single-day 2026 song honor is for “Make Them Cry,” the opening track on Iceman.
“On May 15th, Drake became Spotify’s most-streamed artist of 2026 in a single day, ICEMAN became the most-streamed album of 2026 in a single day, and ‘Make Them Cry’ became the most-streamed song in a single day in 2026 so far,” Spotify announced across their social channels late Friday.
The trio of albums marks Drake’s first solo project since 2023’s For All the Dogs. Last year, he released Some Sexy Songs 4 U, a joint album with fellow Canadian musician PARTYNEXTDOOR.
Before the Iceman arrival, BTS’ ARIRANG became the platform’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2026 upon its release in March. Coincidentally, Drake name-drops the South Korean boy band on his new project, specifically on the Spotify-record-setting “Make Them Cry.” In an Instagram Stories clip posted by BTS’ V on Friday, he’s hanging out with J-Hope, dancing while listening to the song, when Drizzy spits, “I’m feeling like BTS, ’cause it took the whole career for me to be so discovered.” The two performers freeze and simultaneously look at the camera, stunned.
J-pop festival Zipangu has teamed up with sponsor Xbox for a fashion collaboration with Fast & Furious franchise actor Sung Kang. The exclusive collaboration – in partnership with LA-based AAPI-led lifestyle brand UPRISERS LAB – is tied to the upcoming global release of the video game Forza Horizon 6, out Tuesday.
The collection is launching in conjunction with the inaugural Zipangu event on Saturday at Brookside at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Zipangu is being billed as “the largest Japanese music event on U.S. soil devoted to Japanese music and culture,” according to promoters Goldenvoice and Cloud Nine. The One-day festival will feature performances from Ado, ATARASHII GAKKO!, CHANMINA, HANA, MAN WITH A MISSION, Yuki Chiba and 10-FEET.
The collection features two exclusive jacket styles constructed from upcycled Japanese selvedge denim and incorporates custom laser-etched design elements including cherry blossoms, Mount Fuji, Japanese sports cars and Forza Horizon 6 and Zipangu branding. The Zipangu x Forza Horizon 6 Edition jacket is designed with 3M reflective silver taping running along the seams and the interior features a fully sublimated Forza Horizon 6 lining and a spec-designed controller pocket sized for Xbox and PlayStation controllers.
Courtesy AEG/Goldenvoice
The Sung Kang x Forza Horizon 6 jacket features a soft periwinkle colorway inspired by Tokyo’s evening sky, with hand-sewn 3D cherry blossom denim appliqués and sashiko-style patches laser-etched with game iconography, including Japanese drift references and Forza Horizon 6 and Zipangu logos. Only six of these jackets were made.
“I’ve always believed the things we build should tell a story, not just about where we’re going, but where we come from,” said Sung Kang in a release. “This project brings together everything I love — cars, culture and craftsmanship. It’s something that moves with you, whether you’re on the road or stepping into another world.”
Courtesy AEG/Goldenvoice
Fans can enter online through Xbox’s Instagram account for their chance to win one of the jackets. Fans attending Zipangu will also have a chance to win jackets on-site.
“Zipangu is about creating cultural connection through music, community and shared experience,” said Goldenvoice vp of regional festivals Ellen Lu in a release. “This collaboration reflects that vision – bringing together sound, style and storytelling in a way that resonates across cultures.”
Head here for more information on Zipangu and the fashion collaboration.
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With the rise of online streaming, there are so many places around the internet to watch your favorite movies and TV shows, or to discover new and exciting things to watch. However, since there are so many places out there, it may be too confusing to land on something that has an impressive TV coverage and at stable pricing.
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And best of all? Your monthly price stays the same without any surprise fees or increases, thanks to DISH’s 2-Year Price Guarantee. Prices start at $89.99 per month for DISH’s America’s Top 120 plan, which is the entry-level plan and ideal for price-sensitive households. It comes with 190 channels, such as ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, E!, Nickelodeon, HGTV, TBS, TNT, HGTV, USA Network, Food Network, TLC, Animal Planet, AMC, FOX Sports and other networks.
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Stephen Colbert isn’t going quietly off the airwaves. No, the venerated late-night talkshow host is going out with a series of bangs, including a late-night performance by Foo Fighters on Wednesday, and more recently The Strokes.
On Thursday night (May 14), the indie rockers set the tempo to cool for their Late Show premiere of “Falling Out of Love.” On set, Julian Casablancas and his bandmates enjoyed their own, personal stages, each of them lit and outlined with lasers, all of it set against a backdrop of classic stock images of the United States, its small towns, bright lights and natural delights.
With its unusual, heavily Auto-tuned vocals, “Falling Out of Love” is the second cut for the New Yorkers’ forthcoming seventh studio album Reality Awaits, due out on June 26, their first since 2020’s The New Abnormal.
The band will march on with their Reality Awaits 2026 tour, which gets underway June 12 at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Tennessee and wraps up Sept. 20 at Sea.Hear.Now Festival in New Jersey.
After North America, the global jaunt will visit the United Kingdom, Continental Europe, South America and Japan. While on the road, the band will stop by for multiple nights at Red Rocks, London’s The O2, plus Toronto’s RBC Amphitheatre, Paris’ Accor Arena, Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome and more. Support acts will include Thundercat, Cage the Elephant, Hamilton Leithauser, Fat White Family, The Garden, Alex Cameron, Geordie Greep, Promiseland and ÖLÜM.
“Falling out of Love” follows “Going Shopping,” the first single from Reality Awaits, which was recorded in Costa Rica with producer Rick Rubin and finished in studios around the world.
Colbert is in his last stretch in charge of The Late Show, which CBS is pulling the plug on due to what the network has described as “a purely financial” decision. The Strokes are among an elite lineup of final guests, including Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, President Barack Obama, Tom Hanks, and a special gathering of late-night hosts: Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, and John Oliver.
The series finale airs May 21 on CBS at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.
Watch The Strokes’ performance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert below.
